It has also occurred to the editors that the three months between each issue can often seem a long time. So, in order to bridge the gap we will be previewing selected poems on a weekly basis and we’ve decided to get the ball rolling with a poem by the American poet J.S. Belote. This is one of two poems by Justin that will be included in the full journal which is scheduled for early September.

Finally, a reminder that we now accept submissions all year round and are already setting work aside for the winter and spring issues.

*****

J.S Belote: Poem

SOLITUDE
after Cesare Pavese

This evening, supper alone.
The window beside me bright,
the room almost dark.
A square of light lands on my bowl
& makes the cherries redder.

As I look at the sky, it calms me
to know the open land is just
a short walk beyond my door.
Hard work has made my body calm.

So many people are eating right now.
Already in town, among
the reddish roofs, lights shine,
& beneath them the people gossip.
Soon though, there’ll be silence.

Each thing is isolated.
I know the way I know blood
courses through my veins,
& I can accept it calmly.
Water courses through the grasses.

The open land is
a supper of all things.
Every plant, every stone
lives & rests. I can listen & hear
everything that lives on
the open land nourishing my veins.